Culture Wins by Making You Stand Out to Your Customers

Story Highlights

Many organizations don't have a culture that differentiates them

The best organizations define a specific set of values

Corporate values need to align with expectations set for employees

In this four-part series, we examine the role culture plays in creating a successful organization. Previously, we discussed how culture affects talent, performance and retention. This is the final article in this series.

Many organizations claim that their culture is important to them and their customers.

And yet the reality is that most companies within an industry have nearly identical mission statements supported by nearly synonymous values: Excellence. Integrity. Quality. Accountability. Safety. Teamwork. People.

Those aren't bad values by themselves, but they need to go to a deeper level.

Poorly defined values that are not aligned with business success lead to cultures that are at best bland and at worst hypocritical.

Consider the organization that touts "a culture of excellence" and yet all leadership decisions are based on cost-cutting. Or the company that emphasizes the importance of accountability -- but only for some.

Few customers, when pressed, could probably tell you apart from your competitors aside from cost.

Great cultures are not generic cultures. They are directed at a specific outcome.

The best organizations don't try to be everything to everyone.

They find the few things worth obsessing over that are critical to success and that differentiate them in the marketplace. Then they build their culture around those things.

What's Expected?

Most call centers rate and rank their employees based on call handling time. The faster a call is resolved, the more efficient the worker, the better the performance.

But what kind of culture does that reinforce? Is that a customer-centered culture or an efficiency-centered one?

Alternatively, consider a call center with a customer-centered culture that recognizes and rewards those employees who provide a great experience to customers, regardless of it taking two minutes or 10.

Consider the subtle message that each of these cultures communicates to employees and how that translates into customer interactions.

In short, what you decide to measure and celebrate has a major influence on your culture.

And an organization wins when its culture has a direct, positive impact on the customer experience.

One of the most common questions that Gallup asks employees is: Do you know what is expected of you at work?

Sounds simple, but only one in two employees clearly know what's expected of them. That means, on any given day, half of your team may not know what they should be doing.

And it's not just a question of having a task list. Knowing what is expected of you at work is also a question of culture.

Are you expected to win at all costs? Are you expected to cut corners to meet deadlines? Are you expected to invest in your team? Are you expected to go the extra mile for customers regardless of the amount of effort? Are you expected to take risks even if it leads to short-term failure?